Scottish groom Declan planned his wedding to Jonathan at Glasgow's Kimpton Blythswood Square for September 2024 and shared how their plans were progressing...
Two weeks to go! Declan Hattie, who runs Hat & Tie social media management agency, married policy and governance writer Jonathan Larkins on 15th September at iconic five-star Glasgow hotel Kimpton Blythswood Square. They filed their last diary for us just a fortnight before the wedding...
The couple treated themselves to scents from Jo Malone London on Buchanan Street in Glasgow
Mid-September 2024 update
What have we been up to since our last entry? Well, it has been full steam ahead. Jonathan and I collected our wedding rings from ROX Glasgow on the same day that we did the Jo Malone London Wedding Scent Experience at the Buchanan Street store, and what exquisite VIP treatment we got.
We each had an arm and hand exfoliation and pamper session, a crisp glass of Moët and a fragrance pairing session. We selected two scents neither of us has had before as we wanted to have new memories with them, and added the candle too to light on the morning of the wedding.
The girls have collected their dresses from Angelique Lamont Bridal, and we had our last tux fitting at Gilt Edged.
We had a final meeting with Kimpton Blythswood Square to talk through all that will happen on the day. Our wedding planner Alex Smith has been nothing but a dream to deal with throughout the process. In fact, the whole team have really gone above and beyond for us.
Skin guru Sharon Cameron Advanced is going to get us wedding-ready with Dermalogica facials ahead of the big day. We chatted all things skincare at a recent VIP wellness day with Fake Bake UK (which has gone viral) at the gorgeous Barraston Farm just outside Glasgow, and we’re excited to see the glow-up. We need it after months and months of planning!
The Dainty Strawberry's scrummy dipped strawberries and pretzels
We’ve also got our final meeting with Kirsty at The Flower Room. She has nailed our floral vision and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.
The Dainty Strawberry will be providing a grab station for light ‘picky bits’ on the morning of the wedding. Her white chocolate-dipped strawberries twinned with white chocolate-dipped pretzels are taking social media by storm.
My event decor and stylist queen, Gemma at Pretty Little Details, needs a very special mention as she has been the mastermind behind so many of our plans and helped us shape the dream day with her incredible talent. I cannot wait to see how she brings our vision to life.
See Gemma at Pretty Little Details' own wedding here
Pretty Little Details, whose work at Enterkine House is pictured, will be styling Declan and Jonathan's day
All this aside, we’ve had a really tough month as we sadly lost a key member of our family. Jonathan’s mum, my future mother-in-law Mandy, sadly lost her long battle with breast cancer.
She was a warrior, our hero, and fought very hard to be with us on our special day.
We know she’ll be watching us as we tie the knot, at our side through it all, and always will be.
What's next
All that’s left is to become Mr and Mr. We head straight to Miami after the wedding for a week, followed by a week in Barbados. I’ll be by the infinity pool with a cocky-t in hand! Look out for our wedding in an upcoming issue – we can’t wait to share it with you!
We will be featuring Declan and Jonathan's wedding on here soon, but in the meantime you can see some highlights here on Instagram
Late July 2024 update - the 'sten' do report!
Ten weeks to go! That’s just 70 days. Oh my goodness, this year has flown past!
The pair had a fabulous time at O Beach in Ibiza and got custom t-shirts printed to commemorate the trip
June was a blur. Jonathan and I had our ‘sten do’ in Ibiza, which was unbelievable. It was a dream of an itinerary, with a VIP day in O Beach Ibiza, a champagne-themed private boat day, a sunset dinner, on the guest-list for a top DJ in Eden, and so much more.
Ultimately, though, it was just so good to gather our closest friends and family and celebrate us as we get set to tie the knot in September.
Declan and Jonathan recently returned from their ‘sten do’ in Ibiza where a fun time was had by all!
Since we’ve been back, it has been all about tying up the loose ends and working out what’s still do to. One thing we’ve nailed is a collaboration with gin-maker Ellis for our wedding favours.
The brand has just launched a new spiced-honey rum which tastes incredible. The honey actually comes from the bees in their ‘Bee Hotel’ in Blythswood Square Gardens, so it just feels like a perfect fit for us.
Carol Jackson, the founder of Ellis, will also be coming along with a pop-up cocktail set-up for our evening guests as they arrive. We’re still trying to decide on the name for our own cocktail – hopefully we’ll have it ready by the time of our next diary entry…
The pair are giving their guests spiced-honey rum favours by Ellis
I’ve been very fussy over our invites. We’ve had discussion after discussion about them but they still aren’t finalised. I have actually designed them myself through Zazzle online – I’d say I have an eye for detail, so I’ve been enjoying playing around with styles and layouts. They are nearly ready for printing.
Thankfully, we know who’s coming, with it being circa 50 people through the day.
As long as the invites are out within the next couple of weeks, I’m sure all will be good.
Amarone Music will be setting a chic tone for the ceremony
What’s next?
Coming up in August is our stag do with all the guys. We’re heading to Hamilton Park Racecourse for that.
We have still to finalise the songs we want to be played by our amazing ceremony musicians, Amarone Music. We’ll get on to that next, followed by our final tuxedo fittings with Gilt Edged. Our dads have to get fitted too.
Then it’s just the final details with the flowers and we should be almost, almost there…
Start assembling your dream team of suppliers on Tie the Knot Scotland's directory
June 2024 update - shopping for the rings and sorting content creator
I can’t believe it’s just twenty weeks until we say ‘I do’! It has been all go lately, arranging our outfits and rings over the past few weeks. We visited ROX Glasgow in the Argyll Arcade for our wedding rings, and the team there went overboard to help us select the perfect bands. Jonathan and I went for completely different styles, but both rings look incredible. They are due in for us to collect very soon. It’s a shame that we can’t start wearing them as soon as we pick them up! It’ll be hard to wait until September.
“Thank you especially to the highly knowledgeable Megan at ROX who kept our glasses of Moët topped up throughout,” smiles Declan
Over the past few months we’ve been chatting with Gilt Edged, the Highlandwear and formalwear hire shop in the Saltmarket, and feel very lucky to be collaborating with them on our wedding attire. We’ve chosen such a classic look to go with our black-tie theme. We have also treated ourselves to matching Gucci bow ties to make us stand out – they’re so elegant and subtle.
Our ‘sten’ do is coming up and we can’t wait! We’re heading to Ibiza for a jam-packed five days that’s going to include partying galore. We’re having a private boat trip themed around our favourite champagne, a Barbie and Ken-inspired day at O Beach Club Ibiza, and a Café Mambo sunset dinner with a final theme of ‘It’ll Be All White on the Night’. Our friends have all put so much effort into organising it and we really feel so blessed to have the best circle around us.
‘Kens and their Barbies’ is the theme we’re going for the day we’re at Ocean Beach Club in Ibiza,” laughs Declan
We’re excited to have Erin McBride, my fellow Insta-home-account gal, doing her thing and creating content on the day.
Erin has recently gone full time with her business Your Day Unplugged and we’ll be catching up in a couple weeks to discuss all the important details.
John at Laze Executive Travel was the very first supplier we booked for the wedding. He has blacked-out Mercedes Benz V-Class VIP chauffeur-driven cars, which will be dressed in white ribbon to take us from our home in Larkhall to Blythswood Square.
This blacked-out Mercedes Benz dressed in white ribbon will take the squad from home to the venue
"The incredible Erin at Your Day Unplugged is booked for shooting content at the Blythswood and behind the scenes at home while we all get ready," says Declan
We’re so excited to step out in our all-black tuxes with our groomsmaids all in black too. It’s going to look like the Kardashian/Jenner clan has rolled into town!
We’ve picked our music – our first dance, second dance with our mums, and then a floor-filler to get the party going. Then there’s Dave Towers with his saxophone, plus a couple of surprises we’ve booked for our guests. And we’ve got Stevie Lennon, the King of Glasgow’s famous Boogie Brunches, bringing the ultimate party.
What’s next?
We have a tasting and final design for our wedding cake to do with Iced By Leah. We have also booked a catch-up with Kirsty at The Flower Shop Elderslie.
We’ve decided to add a home stag do to Hamilton Races with all the guys in August, so that’s the next thing to plan. The list just keeps growing…
April 2024 update: the Scottish Wedding Show and bridesmaids and mothers of the grooms go shopping!
The happy couple pictured at their Glasgow wedding venue, Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel
OMG! It’s officially just six months until the Hattie Larkins wedding! Where has the time gone? It’s starting to feel very real – and that’s kind of terrifying!
We have been busy boys on the wedding planning front since our last diary entry. My mum Caroline started the year with a bang and booked into Catherines of Partick as she had spied a potential mother of the groom dress on the boutique’s website. We went along with her, and she picked out two alternative dresses as well as the one she’d already spotted. She tried that one first but didn’t love it on, so it was on to the second dress. It was not at all in the kind of colour she envisioned, but IT WAS THE ONE. In and out in half an hour!
She now has her dress and hat, bought to go with the Jimmy Choos she has been saving for our special day. The team at Catherines of Partick were a joy to deal with and lived up to their highly recommended reputation.
Left: We loved seeing Declan and Jonathan at our stand at February’s Scottish Wedding Show! Right: A classic choice – we can’t wait to see what Declan’s mum will be wearing on the day
Jonathan and I headed along to The Scottish Wedding Show in February which was jam-packed with suppliers and vendors, and it was here that we bumped into Kirsty of The Flower Shop in Elderslie who had the stand-out display.
After discussions on our ‘baby’s breath’-inspired bouquets for our team of six groomsmaids, we had our date in her diary.
She showed us some incredible examples and we instantly fell in love with how she described she’d bring our minimalist vision to life. Very exciting – and another thing ticked off this never-ending list.
It was great seeing Alex, our wedding planner, by her stand at Kimpton Blythswood Square and getting a proper catch-up face to face rather than by email. We are visiting the venue again with our decor guru Gemma at Pretty Little Details very soon to get an idea of what should go where and let her see the hotel too.
My friend Vic Halliday introduced me to Iced By Leah a few months back at an event. “DO NOT book anyone other than Leah for your wedding cake!” she told me. Having tasted Leah’s cake that night, we were wowed – so we have ordered an elegant two-tiered cake with sharp edges and subtle florals.
The grooms will be having a cheesecake bar at night. Can we get an invite, please?
It will be sliced up on the night alongside the most incredible cheesecake bar from Cheesecake Delights. It is owned by my longest-serving best pal Alicia, who is the mastermind behind the award-winning dessert shop in Lanarkshire. She also just happens to be one of the Groom Squad, as our WhatsApp chat is called. She is going to be using Raffaello and white chocolate to tie in with our black-tie theme.
Our groomsmaid dresses have been the biggest challenge for us. We’ve been sending so many styles to the group chat, and everyone gives the same answer: “Yeah, love that!” It really wasn’t helping matters. So, I decided to book us an appointment at Angelique Lamont in Glasgow. And didn’t Angie know her stuff!
The six girls chose a style each and Jonathan and I sat there observing, like a scene from 'The Devil Wears Prada'. Luckily, each and every one of them (including us) pointed to the same dress. They all then took a turn in it and then our girls said the big ‘YES to the DRESS!’ Thank God! With that in the bag, it was off to La Vita for cocktails and lunch to talk about the all-important and upcoming ‘Sten-Do’ to Ibiza in June. There’s a mystery itinerary we haven’t to know about. Dear God, help us…
Team Groom found their frocks at Angelique Lamont. Another thing ticked off!
Next up are... choosing the rings and meeting the celebrant
We still have to choose our rings, so we are going to start looking in the Argyll Arcade. Jonathan’s mum Mandy is on the hunt for her MoG outfit – we can’t wait to see what she finds. We’ll be catching up with our celebrant Mick McCann soon to chat through the order of the ceremony.
It’s all go for us and we have such a busy few months ahead to get into shape for our big day so we feel the best for it. Jonathan is also in rehearsals for his show Kinky Boots, at the King’s Theatre in May. There just isn’t enough time in the day…
December 2023: how Declan and Jonathan met and initial plans
Jonathan and I met in autumn 2014 after we both swiped right. It nearly didn’t happen, though. I only had the basic version of the app, which meant you could only meet people within a ten-mile radius – and Jonathan lived 11 miles away.
I had decided the app wasn’t for me and went to delete it – at which point it prompted me to download the full version for the hefty sum of 79p. I decided to splash out – and the very same day I only met the guy who would turn out to be Mr Right! What are the chances? And what a barg!
We chatted for a few weeks before meeting for lunch in Glasgow’s Merchant City and that was that. We moved into our first place together in 2017, bought our first home in 2018, then sold up and moved into our current place in 2021. This all led to our Instagram account, Hattie Larkins Home, giving us something to focus on during the pandemic.
Lockdown was a test for a lot of people, but we felt it was an opportunity to get creative with decorating and to organise Zoom quizzes with our friends. All that vigorous planning would certainly come in handy for the wedding!
The engagement story
In 2019, when we’d been together for more than five years, I booked a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles (we both love West Hollywood – it’s ‘our’ place) and began secretly liaising with the hotel for months beforehand about how I was going to drop to one knee and ask the most nerve-wracking question of my life.
What happened was this… A poolside table was booked for 6.45pm at the swanky Skybar with panoramic views to catch the sun setting over the City of Angels. With 15 minutes to go, I could see from our room window that there were still human beings frolicking in the pool. This should not have been happening right now!
I remember pacing the room, clutching a bottle of Moët, with Jonathan asking me what the hell was up! Eventually we got to the table in matchy-matchy navy and black outfits, the waiter came over (as arranged) and asked if he could take our photo and… I did it! It was such a lovely set-up, and the sunset was just spectacular that evening.
Left: Champagne, poolside, sunset, LA Skybar – how could he say no! Right: The guys fell in love with this floral arch from decor company Pretty Little Details
The planning so far…
We started off thinking we’d marry at a stunning venue in Cyprus, then we changed to New York with fewer guests. But after considering the logistics (and the stress) of getting everyone there at the same time, we settled on the gorgeous Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel, right here at home in Glasgow. It’s all booked for 15th September – a great date for us, as when we wake up the next morning, we’ll be celebrating ten years together.
The wedding is booked for September at Glasgow’s ultra-chic Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel
We took six of our closest girls for brunch to Cocktails & Steaks in Uddingston. We’d made up personalised bags asking ‘Will you be our groomsmaid?’ Thankfully, they all said yes!
Next, we had to sort the entertainment. That’s a biggie for us as we have a musical family. We’re going to have Chelsea from Velvet Noir and Neil from The Copyrights doing an acoustic set. The bagpiper is booked, as is Amarone Music, a sax player and Ace Tribe’s Disco Ball Dancers. It’s going to be all go!
We then had multiple voice notes with the team at Pretty Little Details for our event decor, and it was their white floral arch that sealed the deal. The gorgeous Gemma behind it all is currently planning her own wedding while putting together the dream for everyone else too. That’s a superpower.
Just a little taster of how Declan and Jonathan’s wedding might look at Kimpton Blythswood Square
Next up is… meeting with Gilt Edged for our kilts
Our outfits. We’re booked in for a chat with Gilt Edged in Glasgow to talk about kilts. We might still go for tuxedos, though. Decisions, decisions… Then it’s the rings, and the all-important decision of finding a celebrant who will be the best fit for us and our intimate, non-traditional ceremony with 45 of our closest friends and family.
